Atorvastatin for High Cholesterol User Reviews (Page 4)

• DRW...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 25, 2022

Atorvastatin "I was prescribed Lipitor by a GP, due to my high LDL cholesterol level. I was in excellent condition, BMI under 25, surfing and bike riding daily. Within 24 hours of my first pill, I experienced joint pains. I have osteoarthritis, so I assumed it was just a flare-up. The next day, I had muscle soreness and weakness. The third day, all this was worse; realizing it had to be the Lipitor, I stopped taking the pills and consulted a specialist. I had dark urine. It was determined that I had rhabdomyolysis. I ended up losing 5 lbs of muscle mass, and it took weeks for me to recover from the extreme weakness and fatigue. The specialist told me that if I had continued to take the Lipitor for a few more days, I probably would have been in a very serious condition."

• Ste...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 10, 2019

"Side effects of atorvastatin included weight gain, muscle cramps, constant sore throat, and digestion/gas issues. Have stopped taking after 3 months of these issues - it's taken another 4 weeks of stomach pains to make a recovery. They did do the job as readings reduced from 6.1 to 4.1, but not worth the pain."

• cho...
• January 19, 2017

"Prescribed 10 mg. Side effects started with an upset stomach (improved by always taking with food). Within a couple of weeks, the side effects exploded. No idea of whether or not it improved my labs (they were not supposed to be drawn for two more weeks). I am a vegetarian (no meat of any kind, no dairy milk, but I do eat some dairy cheese and eggs) and also a licensed massage therapist (so I know 'normal' muscle tension or joint pain and how to improve it). My side effects (in no particular order): muscle cramps/pain/weakness/swelling/tightness, tiredness, diarrhea/intestinal cramping, increased ringing in the ears, and depression/angry mood swings. Three days without medication, and pain, etc., continues to improve."

• Mtn...
• June 2, 2020

"I am so happy to see that it’s just not me having a bad experience with this drug, atorvastatin. My LDL in March was 201. This was the only abnormal lab result. She put me on 10 mg of atorvastatin daily. I asked about side effects, and after the first day, I had indescribable deep muscle pain. At first, I thought I was getting another round of shingles! I, of course, stopped taking it but adhered to the plant-based diet. In preparation for this morning's follow-up bloodwork, I took another yesterday with supper. Needless to say, I was up all night with abdominal cramps, stomach pain, loose stools, and nausea! So mad I called the doctor's office and canceled my appointment! Never again!"

• Lyn...
• June 22, 2019

"I have experienced light coughing that slowly advanced over 18 months to wheezing, hoarseness, uncontrollable coughing. I was treated for asthma and allergies with no relief. I researched this medicine and had all the side effects. This week, I stopped taking it and all asthma treatments. After 5 days, I'm breathing much better and not using an inhaler or breathing treatments. I sleep through the night without gasping and coughing. I fully believe 18 months of this medication has taken a harsh toll on my lungs. I'm seeing my doctor this week and can't wait to see what she thinks about my changes and findings."

• hou...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• April 6, 2015

"Atorvastatin was prescribed for years. In January, I woke up with severe leg cramps in both legs, aching in the morning, and I couldn't walk any distance. I experienced severe joint pains and my back was very painful. The doctor never mentioned it could be the tablets, and I couldn't believe my neighbor, who was exactly the same as me. Her doctor took her off them, and she's back to her gym routine and has never felt better! I've stopped taking them three days ago, and I've never felt better. I started back at my gym."

• Anonymous
• October 20, 2022

Atorvastatin "Aug 8 (Reuters) - Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is facing a mounting wave of lawsuits by women who allege that the company knew about possible serious side effects of its blockbuster anti-cholesterol drug Lipitor but never properly warned the public. In the past five months, a Reuters review of federal court filings shows, lawsuits by U.S. women who say that taking Lipitor gave them type-2 diabetes have shot up from 56 to almost 1,000. Lawsuits began to be filed not long after the Food and Drug Administration in 2012 warned that Lipitor and other statins had been linked to incidents of memory loss and a “small increased risk” of diabetes. According to plaintiffs’ lawyers, women face a higher risk than men of developing diabetes from using Lipitor and gain fewer benefits."

• Sue...
• March 8, 2014

"I went to a lipidologist to find out why my HDL was better than optimal, but my LDL-P was close to 2000 (should be under 1000). Found out it was due to genetics, and no amount of exercise and healthy food would matter. She put me on atorvastatin, and two months later my LDL-P was at 740. I have had absolutely no side effects in a year of use. Would I like to be off all meds? Sure, but my low thyroid and high LDL suggest otherwise. So, up to now, all is well."

• Hug...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 31, 2017

"Been on atorvastatin for about 3-4 weeks. The first couple of weeks, I felt very fuzzy and lightheaded, eyes wouldn’t focus. Additionally, had sharp stabbing pain in my back. Stopped taking them for a week, then started again. Now I’m getting chest tightness, aches around the chest and back, plus heart pounding all the time, especially at night, which is messing with my sleep (haven’t slept much at all since taking this drug, come to think of it). Also had bad farts, embarrassing as I don’t know when it will happen. Sick of being a test patient for my doctor... stopping tomorrow."

• wig...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 18, 2018

"I have been taking statins for 3 years now, and this site rates up there as a good resource for medication experience. There seems to be medication manufacturer/retail people posting here touting how great medications are. My advice is to be aware of anyone making statements that taking medications over lifestyle change is the answer. In 10 years from now, if we have tens of millions of people with cancer and liver disease, what will they say then? Health care employs more people with very high salaries than any other profession, and to keep it going, there is no telling what they may do. Be careful and take care of your health, and by that, I do not mean taking more medications. It saddens me to see young people under 35 years old taking this drug. Please try all the lifestyle options before drugs."

• Bet...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 7, 2018

Atorvastatin "I am an otherwise healthy 23-year-old female. My new doctor ran a battery of blood tests and discovered my total cholesterol was 272! Started me on 20 mg Lipitor, which brought it down to 202 after 2 months. Dosage was increased to 80 mg since I have experienced no side effects. It is now at 142 after 4 months in total. Doctor is considering adding something else to get it down a bit more in 2 more months."

• Rla...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 18, 2018

Atorvastatin "I have been on Lipitor for 6 months. My cholesterol went down from 220 to 156, I was tested 2 months ago, therefore, I hope it is going down. Fortunately, I don't have any side effects. Thank goodness."

• Fen...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 16, 2020

"Been taking this drug for 4 years now after experiencing a TIA followed by emergency carotid endarterectomy. Cholesterol levels are good and have not experienced any side effects at all. All annual blood tests have been all okay."

• Bad...
• October 20, 2015

"I took 10 mg for a week. Severe stomach pains, muscle pains, and joint pain. It felt like I had body aches from the flu! So tired, wiped out my energy. Also, where I broke my wrist, I was getting sharp, stabbing pains there. I called the doctor and he said to stop taking it immediately. Thank God because these side effects were horrible. I'm going to try exercise, green tea, and essential oils before I even give another brand a try."

• GMG...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 20, 2021

Atorvastatin "My doctor prescribed 10 mg due to high cholesterol. I had “above the range” results in most of the lipid categories. After just 4 months and no side effects, my numbers are all significantly lower, and all are within the normal ranges. I was shocked, but very pleased!"

• Anonymous
• August 16, 2009

Atorvastatin "Have been taking 10 mg for about 2 years, doctor recently increased to 50 mg, my legs are cramping up and are sore from where they have cramped. I am going to doctor tomorrow to see if dose can be reduced."

• Anonymous
• September 28, 2019

"Atorvastatin worked, bringing down my triglycerides. But my joint pain forced me to change meds. My wrists have arthritis in them, yes, but I never had pain until I took this med. The pain was unbearable."

• Anonymous
• March 27, 2017

"I had a heart attack, and my doc gave me this to take. Within days, I was worse off than before my heart attack. Always dizzy, confused, diarrhea, muscle cramps, short of breath, insomnia. I quit taking them, and I feel so much better now, and it's only been 4 days since I quit taking them. This script is horrible and needs to be taken off the market! Oh, also headaches every damn day, which I never ever had before."

• LMG...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 27, 2019

"I started taking 20 mg because my doctor suggested I should be taking this due to my abdominal aortic aneurysm. I do not have high cholesterol, in fact, I'm in pretty decent shape for a 52-year-old (non-smoking) female. I'm the type of person who would rather not take meds unless absolutely necessary. I read the side effects and became paranoid it was destroying my liver. (Had a blood test, and my liver was fine.) I did, however, go to work and was noticeably spacey & unable to concentrate. I stopped taking it immediately after that. Now they are pushing it again post-Triple A surgery, even though my arteries seemed fine and cholesterol is still okay. I'm hesitant to give it another try but going to see how it goes. I know some people get very bad muscle aches, and I'm praying that doesn't happen. Wish I could get the truth on this med."

• bil...
• February 7, 2019

"I live in Australia. I am 74. On January 29th, I had a cardiac stent in my left circumflex artery. I was on Crestor 10 mg daily. Prior to the procedure, I had no symptoms and went to the gym for an hour 3-4 times a week. After a successful procedure at the hospital, my meds were changed, including changing Crestor to 80 mg Atorvastatin daily. As I was walking out of the hospital, I felt a little breathless. So, I went to the emergency department at the local hospital. Nothing much was done there. My wife told me that my skin color was strange and yellowish. When discharged, because of the coincidence between feeling unwell and the change in medication, and as I could not see a doctor straight away, I took myself off the new meds and reverted back to the old one and went to see a doctor the next day. He told me I did the right thing. Now, after taking Atorvastatin for four days and not having it for the past four days, I feel fit but still a bit tired, but people at work still comment on my yellowish skin color."

• tax...
• February 19, 2017

"I had very high cholesterol, 280. Prescribed atorvastatin 20 mg. Began to have erratic blood pressure within a week of taking it, going as high as 190 over 100, sending me rushing to the ER. Doctor put me on BP meds and upped my atorvastatin to 40 mg. Within a week, the erratic BP continued, and I developed a cough with phlegm, most noticeable at night before sleep and when I awoke. I then developed acute dizziness, severe soreness in my chest and lungs, significant pain in my surgically repaired tendon in my hand, numbness that ran up my arm to my head on one side of my body. My labs came back with my total cholesterol reduced to 125. But I became prediabetic, liver function abnormal, and creatinine rising from 1 to 6. I stopped taking it."

• Pea...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 7, 2017

"67 years old, reasonably fit male until I had a mini stroke in Jan 17. In the hospital, they put me on 80 mg atorvastatin once a day. Within four weeks, every muscle in my body ached. Went to the doctors, and he reduced the dose to 40 mg a day. Another three weeks later, I couldn't get out of bed or walk due to aching muscles. Stopped taking them completely, and within three days, felt thirty percent better. Another three weeks have gone by, and still ache like hell. They might lower cholesterol for some people and be a godsend, but I never want to see another one in my life. They have ruined my way of life."

• Cre...
• September 24, 2015

"Started on 10 mg daily in May. Began having headaches daily, and my joints in my hands increased in pain, especially in the AM. I am in my 4th month now, headaches are much better. Hands still hurt but seem a little better. Now my back aches a lot, and I feel tired every morning. It's like I stayed up half the night, making it a chore to get up and get ready for work. I worry about all the things this drug may be doing to my kidneys, liver, and muscles. However, after 3 months, my cholesterol and LDL dropped significantly. I would like to maybe decrease to every other day or maybe try diet and exercise again."

• Unk...
• August 2, 2015

"When taking atorvastatin, I have developed many side effects. I have had headaches, dizziness, lack of energy, weakness, like I'm always tired, chills, fever, cramps, sore eyes, and mood swings. Although this medication seems to work well."

• TCa...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 16, 2020

"Amazing results! My doctor and I are thrilled. Six months ago, my total cholesterol was still hovering just north of 300. Today it is 165. Over 100 points cut from my LDL, and Trigs (Lovaza alone got these down from 400 to 250) went down a good bit too. All lipids are in the normal range for the first time in my adult life. No side effects at all."